Industry Shakers: CalChamber Lawyer Sets Agenda, Holland Expands

Among the latest lawyer moves, environmental attorneys are leaving the government for private practice. Conversely, private attorneys are turning to environmental lobbying. These are the attorneys we’re watching at Bloomberg Environment.

CalChamber Adds Litigator

Adam Regele, a California Environmental Quality Act and land use attorney, joined the California Chamber of Commerce policy team April 2.

As a policy advocate, Regele will specialize in environmental, housing and land use, and product regulation.

“I’ve always been interested in improving California,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg Environment,

Regele said he would begin his work focusing on defeating Senate Bill 49, introduced by then-State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon (D) and Sen. Henry Stern (D).

The legislation was crafted in response to the Trump administration’s promised rollbacks of federal environmental regulations. SB49 is a sweeping attempt to prevent a reduction of environmental standards and the CalChamber has the legislation on its “job killer” list.

Previously, Regele practiced law at Oakland-based law firm—Meyers Nave Riback Silver & Wilson, PLC—where he advised private and public clients on projects involving land use and environmental laws and regulations at the local, state and federal levels.

“Adam brings a wealth of knowledge that will help California businesses do their part to protect health and the environment in the most cost efficient manner possible,” Allan Zaremberg, CalChamber President and CEO, said in a news release.

Holland & Knight Expands

Environmental attorneys John Riley and Paul Sarahan joined Holland & Knight LLP’s Austin, Texas, office as partners. They were both previously with Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. They will be members of the firm’s national environmental litigation team.

“John and Paul are some of the best environmental litigation attorneys in the country,” Mark Davis, executive partner of Holland & Knight’s Austin office, said in a news release. “As former directors of litigation at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, they are fantastic resources for Holland & Knight’s local and national clients, especially those in the energy and chemical industries.”

Riley represents clients in permitting and enforcement matters in the air, water and waste media. Riley served as the director of the litigation division at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from September 1994 to March 1998.

Sarahan represents clients in the energy, chemical, manufacturing, transportation, technology, and retail industries on environmental issues. He served as the director of the litigation division at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from August 1998 to November 2005.

Former FLRA Deputy Solicitor Moves

Former Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) Deputy Solicitor Zachary Henige has joined the practice of Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch PC, a labor and employment law firm in Washington.

The firm’s areas of expertise include union representation, discrimination and whistleblower claims.

Henige previously represented the FLRA in appellate litigation. He successfully briefed and argued that dual-status military technicians are protected under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute in FLRA v. Michigan Army National Guard.

His efforts forced the employer to stop prohibiting communication between bargaining-unit employees and their union.

Prior to the FLRA, he worked as an attorney in the Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Branch at the National Labor Relations Board. He also served as assistant general counsel to two international unions—the Service Employees International Union and Unite Here.